Crossfire
by kittyaurorasan
Summary: Tensions grow between Daryl and Carol as they begin to realise their feelings for one another at the least appropriate time. Spoilers, fluff, strong language and sexual content.
1. tears

She stood outside the door staring at the celling. He was such a mess, scraped, bruised, stabbed and shot, and she knew it was her fault. If she had been a better mother her child would not be missing and her friend would not be in this horrific state.  
>Carol had learned to claim herself thanks to Ed and although things had changed since he was around she was finding it incredibly difficult to break her old habits.<p>

She had gone in already and spoke to him but things kept flashing in her mind, his wounds, his stressed voiced, and most of all that twitch he'd had as she tried to comfort him, the guilt built up and she felt a lump build in her throat. Her attempts to swallow back the pain failed she let out splutters and whimpers and tears raced down her cheeks. Once they had started she found them impossible to stop, covering her moth with her hand trying to hold in the awful damp sobs.

Her heart ached, filled to the brim with guilt, finding no solace in her own mind only more guilt as she found herself realising why Daryl was so sympathetic to her plight, why he'd helped so much, and why he'd tried his best to keep her spirits up. Merle. Daryl had seemed rather lonely without his brother and had never given up on finding him no matter what and no one, herself included, seemed to care. Deep down she knew that part of her felt safer with Merle not around but as she thought that her chest ached out again reminding her she was supposed to be Daryl's friend, she was supposed to support him. "I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I'm sorry..." She bawled over and over as she sank to the floor trying to hold in pain in by covering her mouth feeling the words scrape off her throat unable to stop them.

The words soon drifted off into coughs and splutters carol felt her throat ache out with every every cough but as she coughed she began to hear Daryl shuffling around in bed and head small deep grunts followed by some unsteady thuds across the floor towards the door.

She quickly forced herself to her feet, ending up feeling rather light headed, and instinctively brushed the dust off her dirty trousers.

"Who's there?" Daryl's now hoarse managed to croak out as his feet dragged across the floor.

Carol wiped her face of tears and took a deep breath in before instantly coughing it all out again. She tried to speak but was once more coughing, clearing her throat she tried again. "It's just me..." She murmured. "Carol? Are you-"

"I'm fine, thanks Daryl." She replied quickly trying to hide the quivering in her voice. "Is it okay if...Can I come in?" Carols voice was shaky and nervous as she imagined all the ways he could react, none that she thought of were positive.

She heard an odd mumble from inside, she could fully understand as Daryl's southern accent sounded gruffer than normal.

Carol let out a sigh and turned to open the door slowly, she opened the door to see Daryl barely able to hold himself up clinging to the end of the bed walked over to him and sighed.

"Come on, you need your rest get back into bed." she said fussing over him, pulling his bandage up.

He sat down on the bed and held her forearm. "Well if you hadn't been Howlin' and weepin' outside the door." another sigh escaped Carols lungs as anxiety and guilt built up again.

"I Just...I'm just stressed and I can't...I'm sorry..I just.. ." Carols voice stuttered and cut out.

"Sit down woman, you need to calm yourself." Carol stared at him confused as he dropped his body on the bed, wincing as he landed.

Carol looked at the door then looked at Daryl opening her mouth to say she was going to go but a stern look for Daryl close it again. "C'mere and sit down." He said exacerbated and exhausted. "Now yammer away until you feel better or I'm asleep." He tried to lay on his back but found a little too much pressure on his arrow wound. "move round to the other side and sit there." Carol was a little confused at why he was being so blunt and demanding but quickly realised the poor man had been shot twice today, she walked around to the bed resting her back on the headboard and pulling her legs up, placing one hand at her side and the other on her stomach.

Carol took a deep breath in and sighed before she began to talk. "I lost my child, I let her wander off and she ended up vanishing for days now, I...All I've done is lie in bed, cry, wash some clothes, and clung to yo... used everyone else to do what I should be doing...I should be out there all day and all night-" "getting yourself bit?" Daryl interrupted as he lay on his side staring up her hand. "Well no...I..." Daryl made a shushing motion with his finger to his lip then moved that hand to hers nodding for her to continue.

"well..." she continued her voice little more than a whisper. "I just wish I could do more...more to find her...more to stop things like this from happening to you...all day I was just so terrified that you'd be gone too and that...that I'd never see you..." Daryls hand tightened around Carols as tears raced down her cheeks. Daryl looked down at her hand, stroking it with his thumb carefully, brow tense as he sighed. For the tiniest moment she forgot Ed's passing and worried he'd find out about her letting a man touch her. She tried to take her hand back, a little uncomfortable, but Daryl just looked at her again, he wasn't angry now, he wasn't sad either, if anything he looked confused. "Look, If I...erh...made you worry...I'm uh.." he paused and nibbled the inside of his lip. Carol smiled putting her other hand on top of Daryls "It's okay Daryl, you were looking for my little girl and got hurt, that's not your fault." Daryl was a little confused at Carols hypocrisy towards herself. "The why is it your fault?" Carol was a little stumped at this question. How wasn't it her fault, she was Sophia's mother She was supposed to be looking after her!

After a few seconds of silence Daryl sighed and shrugged. "ain't nobodies fault." he mumbled as Carol dragged back the hand she had placed on his.

The two sat in silence, neither really looking at one another, half of Carol was too scared too look at Daryl in case he was angry, and half of Daryl too scared to look at her encase he felt something he was still too scared to feel.

"I just wanted to say...sorry for not helping more with finding Merle." Carol finally broke the silence.

"Nawh, it's all-right Carol..." Daryl said as he began to fidget wither her fingers tracing around each one up to the knuckle then over and down the other side of the finger.

"No it's not okay. You almost died looking for MY little girl and I never gave you an ounce of help!" She fussed Daryl didn't really seem that effected by it.

"Yeah but unlike Rick YOU feel bad for it." Carol nodded and looked at her feet as she felt his soft touch tickled her hand.

"Sophia will be fine..." Daryl said prodded her cheek. "and when we find her she's gonna wanna see you smiling." Carol gave a faint smile to Daryl.

"do ya want to sleep here?" Daryl smiled as he noticed Carols hand try and move away from his.

Carol looked confused and quickly responded. "I don't think that's appropriate Daryl." her voice sounded a little happier as she tried not to giggle from his odd hand caress.

He shook his head and smiled. "we don't need to hug or nothin'!" Carol let out a small laugh and looked down at him properly, he sat their happily brushing her fingers with his biting down on his bottom lipe. "Fine." She sighed and leaned down to give him a kiss on the head. He pulled his head back a little surprised by her movement. She smiled at him again as he finally looked up at her. He opened his mouth to speak again but the words seemed to get caught in his throat. Less than a second later Carol laid a small kiss on his top lip before pulling her self back to sit up straight again. Daryl felt a rush of emotions go through his mind. The silence speared again but was broken much quicker by a small bought of giggles from Carol. "I really shouldn't have done that, should I?" she said taking her hand from Daryl to cover her mouth.

Daryl smiled softly and took her hand back, dragging it down to his face to lay a peck on her fingers. "Probably not." he smiled up to her.


	2. Anger

Carols awoke after barely and hour of proper sleep, her eyes felt dry and sticky, and her throat ached.

It would have been so nice to go into a shower and relieve the horrible congested feeling she could feel causing a head ache but she remembered that in the world she had these she also received more black eyes than she could count, so maybe a blocked nose wasn't so terrible.

She looked over to Daryl who was had fallen asleep surprisingly quickly and stayed sound asleep all night, obviously his body must have been physically exhausted, but who could blame him? He had been through so much the day before.

Carol smiled over to him holding her hand to her lips softly, she turned her body off the bed and stood up having a quick stretch. She heard Hershell's distinctive foot steps make their way down the creaking wooden flooring of the hall as she straightened out her clothes.

She noticed red marks over her skin where the clothes had dug in and had to resist itching them.

"Never thought I'd miss pyjama's this much..." she murmured to herself still half asleep as she picked up pieces of clothing off the floor to make it seem like she'd just come into this room to collect them.

Hershell entered the room and cleared his throat.

"Good morning Carol." his voice was deep and dull as he entered the room.

"How has he been? Did he sleep through the night?" Carol looked up at him realising he probably kept an eye on who came in and left him house meaning he knew she'd slept here.

"Yeah, his breathing was a bit staggered but he slept right through..." She answered politely as she shuffled trying to make her way to the door.

"Can you come over and help me change his bandage?" Hershell lay down a bottle of antiseptic and some fresh bandages on the ground as Carol went over and put her hand on his side to start to remove his old wound, it was very slightly stained.

Carol began to move a hand across his bandage on his back to remove it, just as she began to peel it back she felt a arm come crashing into her. "Get the fuck off me!" He screamed barely awake and he tried to get out the bed.

"DARYL! Calm down!" Hershells voice boomed as stepped between Carol and the redneck.

Daryl shook his head as he turned shutting his eyes hard and then opening them again.

"Oh fuck, Carol I'm s-"

"NO! Daryl don't just..." Carols voice was filled with sobs as she tried to articulate herself she backed off out the room then down the hallway.

Daryl lay there in the worn out tent, affectionately smiling at his arrow, the one that could have killed him yesterday, and began whipping the miscellaneous fluids off of it. He placed it beside his cross bow, ready to load if needed and lay back again staring at the roof of the small tent. How could he have failed so completely? He lost his lead on Sophia, lost one of Hershells horses, and left himself unable to even help out the next day, and now Carol couldn't even look at him with her big blue eyes, or talk to her with her lovely soft voice...Daryls mind conjured beautiful perfect imaged of Carol, her long thing fingers wrapped around his, as his thin, rough, chewed lips pushed down on her, their bodies intertwined. His mind filled with soft feminine moans as he fought the need to release some tension.

He slowly gave into his needs pushing his left hand into his trousers, he'd gone without for so long now he was surprised to find some worn out boxers covering his shaft, he smiled to himself as he began stroking his member, feeling the build up start as he pictured things he'd probably only ever imagine, things Carol could say and do for him and things he wished he could say to her. He'd held onto his virginity for some time now, whether he used the excuse that he hadn't found the right person or that Merle pretty much claimed every woman in their little village, and no one with an ounce of sense touched something Merle had once had his dick in, depended on who was asking.

He felt a deep warmth build up in his stomach as he felt his mind and body hand on the edge of orgasm before curling upwards into himself covering the end of his member to catch his seed.

"awh shit..." he grumbled trying to find a towel or a used bandage or anything to wipe this off on before biting the bullet and whipping his hand down this trousers.

Daryls body jolted up as he heard some slow shuffling moving towards his tent, his hand creeped over to his trusted crossbow as he realised it'd be impossible to get up, out of his tent, and run from a walker at this point as he could hardly stay awake. He saw the shadow of the creature got closer and closer to the tent door.

The shuffling turned out to be Andrea, she peaked her head into the tent and looked a little guilty. Daryl was just relieve she hadn't walked in 2 minutes earlier as a walker.

Carol had kept herself busy the rest of the morning, avoiding making eye contact as Daryl was helped out into his tent even though she was curious as of why he was put there, doing the dishes, stopping herself from checking on Daryl as she returned from collecting water, not checking if he had any other clothes to be washed as she made her way through the already large pile of clothes, and then as she was making lunch she knew there was only so long she could avoid him for.

"Are you okay Carol?" Carol jamp out her skin as Lori's skinny hand appeared on her shoulder.

"Uh...Yeah...I just...didn't sleep much..." She said stirring the odd meaty soup mixture over their little fire.

"Oh yeah, I heard you rode the hunter last night!" Lori said oddly chirpy for once. Carol looked confused and offended as she tried to think of the words to explain.

"No! I was just keeping him company!" She rushed out panicked about what rumours people were spreading.

"Hmm..." Lori said looking at a little disappointed at the lack of conversation.

"He think you're too old for him?" an ache grew in her chest as her mind raced.

"I Don't know...I just...I didn't try and seduce him or anything..." She sighed rubbing a hand through her short hair.

"So what did you do?" Lori said taking the spoon and stirring the mixture a bit as she waited for Carol to respond.

"Come on we haven't had a little gossip in a while!" Lori encouraged her, Carol sighed

"it's not the same when you're accusing me of hitting on some one while my daughter is god knows where..." she thought then sighed.

"I started so...we sat and talked for a while...I gave him a little kiss then we went to sleep..." She recited hoping she'd leave it at that, Carol should have realised her luck wasn't about to get any better.

"So...Do you want him?" Carol sighed as the worlds grated past through her ears.

"Look I need to serve up some lunch before we head out to gun practice, I'm going to check on Daryl." She got up to leave hardly wanting to look back at the friend she had just closed out.

What was she becoming? A woman who had fun because her husband was dead and who ignored men who'd risked their lives to find her daughter and now apparently she was treating Lori badly too...and yet no matter how bad she felt about it she wanted to stop feeling guilty all the time rather than wanting to make it up to them.

As Carol entered the tent Daryl shuffled awkwardly in his make shift-bed trying not to look at her kicking his legs around trying to sort out his blanket.

Carol sighed disappointed in his reaction and went over to try and straighten out the scrap of material but Daryl quickly yanked it up out of her hands

"I'm not goin' ta be a fuckin' replacement for your little girl!" Carol felt entirely confused by his sudden change in attitude to her.

"I'm not dealing with this today Daryl. I have enough on my plate at it is." she said through gritted teeth.

"Well go fuckin' do it then everyone else is busting their hump looking for your daughter!" He growled as Carol made her way out of his tent.

"Your lunch will be done in 5 minutes." She said, her voice monotone, as she clenched her fist.

Daryl threw his fist down grunting angrily at himself more frustrated than anything.


End file.
